Ex-Sunderland goalkeeper backs Roy Keane to be the next Hibernian manager

Keane has emerged as the favourite to take charge at Easter Road following the sacking of Shaun Maloney earlier this month.

And Gordon, who has made 32 league appearances for Hibs’ SPL rivals Hearts this season, knows Keane well after working with the Irishman at Sunderland.

“I think it would be brilliant for Scottish football in terms of the stature that he would bring, and the press attention that he would bring not only to Hibs, but to Edinburgh as well,” Gordon, 39, told our sister title The Scotsman when asked about the prospect of Keane joining Hibs.

“I think he could be a very good manager, he proved that early on at Sunderland when he got them promoted and kept them in the league. You look where Sunderland are now.

"Maybe people didn’t think that was a huge achievement at the time, it actually was. To be able to do that, to get them promoted and keep them in the league for the whole time he was there…so, yeah, I would love it, let’s see if it happens.”

Keane’s last managerial job was at Ipswich between 2009 and 2011, while he was interviewed for the vacant Sunderland job back in February.

The former Manchester United midfielder, 50, has also worked in coaching roles with the Republic of Ireland, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest, while he has regularly appeared as a TV pundit for Sky Sports and ITV.

“I’ve got nothing but good things to say. I would love it if he came to Edinburgh, I think it would be great,” Gordon added.

“There’s obviously been a couple of clubs where it hasn’t worked out for him, for whatever reason. But certainly while at Sunderland the spirit in that team to stay in that league, the amount of late goals that we got to get a draw or get a win that scraped us by to get enough points to stay in the league was a huge achievement."